


Cold as ice

by Barricadesatfleetstreet



Category: The Iliad - Homer, The Song of Achilles - Madeline Miller
Genre: M/M, Modern AU, THIS IT NOT SAD YAY, Worst title in the history of titles, achilles found the one thing he isn't good at: skating, figure skating AU, patroclus is our little champion for once, the song of achilles just fucked me up okay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-11
Updated: 2015-10-11
Packaged: 2018-04-25 23:16:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4980457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Barricadesatfleetstreet/pseuds/Barricadesatfleetstreet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The figure skating AU absolutely no one asked for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cold as ice

A figure skating AU in which Patroclus is a figure skater and Achilles the Zamboni guy. 

So today was a pretty good day for Patroclus. He had no school, had already finished all of his homework, read an awesome book, and when he arrived at the ice rink he noticed something was different. Or rather, someone. 

Patroclus had been figureskating for at least 8 years, and I guess you could say he was rather good at it. Not the best perhaps, but he did work hard for it.  
But as someone who has been going to the same icerink for 8 years, he would certainly have noticed the blond model-like boy driving the Zamboni. 

"Patroclus!" Briseis yelled for the thirth time, "stop staring at that boy! You'll creep him out!"

"Good day to you to Briseis. Beside, I was not staring!" He tried to defend himself. 

"Yea, right!" She laughed. She was probably the only person who knew he was bisexual, which is why she basically hooked him up with all the attractive girls and guys she found. He had known her for as long as he could remember. They started skating together after Patroclus's parents told him to start doing a sport (even though figure skating wasn't quite what they had in mind), but they decided to go solo and not skate in pairs. She could do till triple salchow, and he could do till triple toeloop but over all her skatingskills and spins were better. 

"Not that I care- but uhm-... Who is he?" He blushed. There was no point in hiding things from Briseis, the girl knew everything, she could read him like a book. "And where's Odysseus?" Odysseus being the 'regular' zamboni guy. 

"You don't know who he is? God, Pat, he's the son of the owner of the rink! He probably got a job here now for some reason, I don't really know but I've seen him around a few times. You're gonna have to ask his name yourself, I don't know that."

Two year ago, Briseis told Patroclus she had fallen for him. Patroclus had rejected her as he wasn't quite into her and feared for their friendship. He was really glad she got over it quite quickly, she was his best friend and he wouldn't know what to do without her. 

"Oh-..." 

The ice was finished and they quickly got on but Patroclus' practice wasn't one of the best. He just couldn't seem to focus and with everything he did he lost control and fell. "Get your head in the game" Briseis had laughed. She always managed to quote High School Musical at least once a day, which blew his mind how she couldn't keep it up.

\---

"I have a cold- I'm not coming today", Briseis texted Patroclus a few minutes before he left. It was wednesday, which meant he'd be alone on the ice now. It was always only them two on wednesday, because for some reason no one else from their club managed to get there at that hour. Their coach was off too as she was gone to an international competition with a few other kids. He himself didn't do the competition because he injured his back not so long ago. 

He almost started thinking Briseis didn't come on purpose so he and the blond would be alone at the rink, but she took skating very seriously and would probably never do that. Probably. 

It was nice to have the ice for himself for once. It felt so much like being free. He could do what he wanted to do without having to look out for other people. 

"Hey!" He startled from the sudden voice which called to him, and even more when he realized who called him. 

"Yes?" he slowly skated to the boarder where the blond guy was standing. 

"Are you- are you alone on the ice?" He asked. 

"Uhm yes... Normally my friend Briseis comes too on Wednesday too but..." He had no idea why he gave the guy this information. 

"Oh okay" he said while looking at Patroclus. It was so awkward for some reason. 

"Why?" He asked, which he lateg facepalmed himself for. He could have just skated away but no, he had to ask. 

"Oh no I was just wondering. I spent about half an hour on the zamboni for one guy-... But oh well, what are you gonna do about it? Sorry I interrupted," the blond guy said quickly and wanted to walk away when Patroclus stopped him. 

"Why don't you come on the ice too?" It's not like Patroclus wanted to say what he said, the words just escaped his mouth for some reason. 

"Oh no, I don't skate!" The boy laughed and shook his head. 

"Your dad owns the place, sure you can skate a little?"

"I-I've never tried actually," he admitted. 

"Well, this would be a good time to try for the first time! I'll help you if you want!" He really didn't know why he was talking like this to a stranger, there just was something about this guy that made him so talkative. 

"I don't know..."

"Oh come on! Just try it..." At this moment, Patroclus realized he had no clue what the boy's name was, which made him feel ten times more awkward. "I'm sorry, what's your name?"

"Achilles," the boy said and laughed and his laugh and perfect blond hair just made him look so perfect and god-like, Patroclus had a hard time responding. 

"Patroclus," he said offering his hand after a silence that had been way too long to not have been awkward. 

"Seems like we're both stuck with terribly long names." 

They laughed. "If I come on the ice, you swear you'll help me?"

"I swear," Patroclus smiled. There was something about this guy, something about the way he spoke and looked and acted that just turned him into mush inside. 

"Okay--... I'll be on the ice in ten minutes..." He disappeared. 

Meanwhile, Patroclus tried to keep on skating but he just cringed at how awkward he had been. 

"Good going Patroclus!" He whispered under his breath to himself. "He must think I'm an idiot."

After 15 minutes, he still wasn't on the ice yet. "That's it, he probably just fled or something. To be honest, I'd flee too," Patroclus said to himself right at the moment the door flew open. 

"God, skated are hard to get on!" 

"You look ridiculous!" Patroclus couldn't stom himself from saying. Achilles was wearing kneepatches, elbow patches, and worst of all, a bright pink bikehelmet. 

"It's a houserule you have to wear this when you come skating for the first time!"

"Yes, if you're under six years old!" Patroclus laughed. He almost added 'you still manage to pull it off and look adorable to be honest', but thought 'maybe better not, let's not freak him out'. 

"See you're doing great!" Achilles hold on tight onto the barrier, as if his life depended on it. "Let loose of the barrier, I'm sure you'll be okay."

"You do realize that if I let loose of the barrier, I'll just hold your arm this thight?" He almost winked while saying that. 

"Okay," Patroclus said almost flirty back.

And so, Achilles grabbed Patroclus's arm (and almost cut off all the blood flowing to his hand. God, the boy had some strenght!) 

"I'd have never came on the ice if it weren't for you," the blond said, very sure of himself. Was he flirting with Patroclus? He didn't even know. He was terrible with such things, how do people do this?

"Oh- okay?" Was the only thing he could manage out. 

"Good I have such a great teacher!"

"You've been on the ice for five minutes, from which four you didn't even more and only held the barrier!" 

Now they were already skating, but just a tiny bit. 

"The things I'd do for a very handsome guy," and now he did wink. And Patroclus was uncomfortable but also charmed and blushed. "Although, I don't like this as much as I hoped I would. Perhaps I should go off. Say, you wanna grab lunch sometime?"

"Y-yea lunch sounds nice..." 

"Great, let's go Saturday after your practice at 2PM."

"How do you-..."

"I work here, Patroclus!" P-a-t-r-o-c-l-u-s. "See you Saturday then?" Achilles was faster off the ice than he had been on, leaving Patroclus by the side of the ice, flushed and charmed, and excited for Saturday.


End file.
